Poll: Only 21% Believe in PA State as Real Solution

Just 21% of Israelis think the PA will create a new Arab state. Most see “status quo” as the most realistic scenario.

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Maayana Miskin, 25/08/13 14:59

Abbas and former PM Salam Fayyad

AFP photo

A new survey conducted by Maagar Mohot (Brain Base) for the Professors for a Strong Israel group has found that only a small minority of Israelis believe the Palestinian Authority will establish a new Arab state in Judea, Samaria (Shomron) and Gaza – and only 11% hope it will.

The poll asked respondents to choose the solution to the Israel-PA conflict that they most prefer, and the solution they think is most realistic.

The most popular answer in both cases was simply to maintain the status quo. Currently Judea and Samaria is split into three areas, called A, B, and C. The PA has full control over Area A, Israel controls Area C, and in Area B the IDF is tasked with oversight of security, while the PA has legal power over other aspects of daily life.

Forty-one percent of respondents said the status quo is their preferred solution, and 51% said it is the most realistic solution. In comparison, just 21% said the creation of a new PA state is the solution with the best chance to take place.

When it came to preferred solutions, the idea of a PA state proved very unpopular, with just 11% expressing support. Nineteen percent said their preferred solution would be the “Plan B” that Professors for a Strong Israel has proposed – the annexation of Judea and Samaria.

However, only 7 percent said they believe annexation is the solution with the best odds of being put into effect.

Professors for a Strong Israel pointed out that the poll shows their proposal is more popular than the plan the government is actually pursuing.

“The purpose of this conference is to prove to the Israeli public that something that a large part of the population wants – is realistic,” said Professor Aryeh Eldad.

“This is the arena of the battle for public awareness, which Professors for a Strong Israel recently entered under my leadership,” he added, concluding, “This poll proves that we are not operating in an empty vacuum, but rather, putting a real alternative out there for debate.”